


The River Keeps On Flowing

by Xekstrin



Series: Melting Gold [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 06:23:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13358361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xekstrin/pseuds/Xekstrin
Summary: A smutty sequel to Melting Gold that takes place directly after the last chapter. Pyrrha and Ruby cautiously explore another facet of their relationship.





	The River Keeps On Flowing

**Author's Note:**

> You don't have to read Melting Gold to understand this but it would definitely help. I just didn't want that poor story to get an E rating just for one chapter when the rest of it is so fluffy!
> 
> Comments and kudos are much appreciated.

The rain roused her. Five minutes before her alarm was due to ring, Ruby became aware of the constant, dull roar. It picked up on the edge of her hearing, and then slowly the rest of her senses woke up.

Pyrrha was awake, too. Ruby could tell by the faint hum of Aura coursing underneath her skin. She knew the wavelengths of Pyrrha’s soul, the energy of her when she was alert and hunting. The soft, muted thrum of her breathing when she slept.

She kept her head close to Pyrrha's chest, breathing in her scent, listening carefully to her strong heartbeat. Several paces slower than any she'd ever heard, that heart remained placid and steady even when Pyrrha was in the thick of a fight, covered in blood and pitch. Even when her mouth was over Ruby's, eyes darkening in desire.

Pyrrha propped herself up on one arm, stroking her nails through Ruby’s hair. Playing dead for a bit longer, Ruby suppressed her own energy and soaked in the affection

A pair of strong arms pulled her even closer, long, lean legs linking with hers.

"You're not fooling me," Pyrrha murmured into her ear.

Relaxing inch by inch, Ruby opened her eyes only to sulk. "That's no fair. You're better at reading Aura than I am."

"I'm more practiced." Pyrrha cupped her face in both hands so she could kiss Ruby's forehead. "But I can tell when you're faking. When you're really asleep, you snore."

She was appalled. "I do?"

"Yes." Pyrrha kissed the tip of her nose. "But don't worry, it's cute snoring."

Her father’s house was empty. Tai was still out on a mission with Zwei, and Yang off to have adventures on their short summer break. So no one was there to demand their time, or their energy. They finally could be together without any distractions.

It was a late morning, closer to noon when they woke up, but Ruby insisted on making breakfast. Pyrrha watched her bustle around the kitchen, just a little mystified. "But there's no pancake mix."

Arched up on the tips of her toes, Ruby reached for the flour. Her dad was always putting it on the top shelf, and Yang wasn't around to grab it for her. "Oh my god, Pyrrha."

When she turned around, arms laden with all the ingredients, Pyrrha tried her best not to look shifty. "My parents and coaches made all my meals when I was living at home," she said. "And at Beacon, they knew better than to let a literal army of athletes go hungry."

She'd made this recipe so many times she hardly needed a measuring cup. It was all by feel, how much flour, how much sugar. Sure, her first few years in the kitchen ended in catastrophe more often than not. But it had forged Ruby into a battle-ready chef. "Not an excuse! Come here."

Standing at Pyrrha's side, she pushed the jar of cinnamon into her hand. "Give it a few gentle shakes," she said, taking her wrist and doing it for her. "Like this."

"Okay."

"And a capful of vanilla extract."

"Is that like, a teaspoon, or..."

Ruby shrugged. "I just use the cap on the bottle."

"This feels dangerous." Pyrrha was just teasing her. Probably.

They mixed the dry and wet ingredients together, and Ruby let her voice drop flirtatiously. "Honey, if you think this is dangerous... you should see me with raw cookie dough."

"When you die of salmonella poisoning, at least I'll be able to say I told you so."

Maybe it was because she hadn't properly woken up yet, but every other thing Pyrrha said made Ruby giggle. Late morning shifted into late afternoon, the rain never letting up once. A sudden cold shift in the winds whipped the muggy air away, dropping the temperature like a rock. Sitting on the kitchen table with tablets open in front of them, the two of them did work while quietly chatting.

_This feels so good._

The realization took her by surprise, like the feeling of Pyrrha reaching under the table to hold her hand. A calloused thumb rubbed over the back of her palm, warm with affection, casual and thoughtless.

"We really ought to burn off breakfast," Pyrrha said, but didn't sound particularly convinced. "I hate running in the rain, though."

"When did that happen?" Ruby wondered, glancing outside at the gray mists.

"Hmm?"

"When did we stop liking the rain," she explained. "Remember being a kid and getting suuuper hype because it was raining?"

It occurred to her suddenly that maybe hers wasn't a universal experience, that not everyone had a house in the woods and a rambunctious older sister. There were always adventures to be had in the woods. She remembered running outside and playing for hours, though she was hard-pressed to remember what, exactly, she and Yang did. It was always more about the feelings than any specific games.

"Well, we had our parents to clean up after us, when we were done." Pyrrha sounded lost in thought, her chin resting on one fist. Her green eyes were a little unfocused, like she was sleepy, still. Ruby knew cloudy weather tended to put a damper on her spirits. "And warm us up afterward."

The rain did look cold, now that Pyrrha mentioned it. These were nothing like the autumn rains due later in the year, the ones that felt like every drop of water was laced through with needles. But it probably wouldn't be a warm summer shower like the ones from her childhood.

She looked outside wistfully, wondering about times past, and things she'd lost.

Until Pyrrha stood up so fast her chair squealed on the kitchen floor. "Okay," she said, "We're going!"

Ruby blinked in confusion. "Hmm? Where?"

Without even an exhale of exertion, Pyrrha scooped Ruby into her arms. She carried her princess style, and even after years together there was something so effortless about it that it made Ruby's heart skip a beat.

"To play in the rain." Pyrrha said it like it was obvious.

She kicked her legs in excitement, arms tightening around Pyrrha's shoulders. "Eee! Okay!"

Working the door open without dropping Ruby took a second, but once she did, Pyrrha broke into a sprint. They ran into the rain, screaming in delight and shock. It poured so hard they were instantly drenched, mitigating any room for second thoughts or doubts.

A full body shiver ran through her. "Nooo! It's cold!" The storm must have traveled in from the north, bringing in the winds and low temperature even in the summer.

On days when the air conditioning broke, the cold rains felt like a blessing.

Today...

Ruby screamed again, breaking free of Pyrrha's arms. "We'll warm up if we keep moving. Like a wilderness mission!" She turned on her heel, hands held behind her back as she grinned at Pyrrha. "We've been on plenty of cold-weather missions before!"

Without her hair piece holding her bangs up, Pyrrha had to keep mopping them out of her eyes like a wet dog. "We were properly equipped for those."

"No takebacks! Follow me!" Her semblance rippled to life, leaving a storm of petals to surround Pyrrha. Waving to get her attention, Ruby pointed to the treeline. "Over here! There's a creek in the forest, it looks really cool when it's raining."

When Pyrrha caught up to her, Ruby rippled away again. "Come on, slow poke. It's this way." Soon they reached the creek, swollen with rain to rival any river. Ruby fluttered in and out of view like a forest spirit, giggling at Pyrrha's attempt to keep up. Every time she reached Ruby, the younger girl would fly away again, just out of reach.

It quickly turned into a huntress game of tag.

Pyrrha stalked her now, the roar of her Aura alive and furious under the surface of her skin. Her eyes burned pale green, specter-like in the hazy mists. They darted after Ruby, seeing not just her body but her very soul, the flash of red and white, Aura and semblance. She predicted Ruby's movements, and they raced along the muddy riverbank.

A skilled fighter like Pyrrha could track her movements, Ruby knew. She projected her destination too much when she got careless.

Sure enough, when she tried it one last time, Pyrrha was waiting for her. She materialized almost on top of Pyrrha, who coiled two strong arms around her. They toppled over, rolling down onto the ground with a chorus of shrieking laughter.

Their Auras flashed bright, soaking up all the hurt and leaving them unharmed, but completely filthy.

Pyrrha tried one more time to push her long hair out of her face. With her hands caked in mud, she didn't notice when she accidentally wove a little twig into her mane. "Is this what you and Yang would do?"

They sat up at last, giggling and shivering in the rain and mud. "We made boats," she said when she could control herself. "And floated them down the creek."

The two of them went hunting for materials. Ruby pulled a knife the size of her forearm from her boot, whittling the chunk of wood lightning-fast until it actually looked like a small canoe. She made two, carving their initials into each. Then they trudged upstream to find a good place to release them.

"Away they go!" Ruby said, crouching down by the water and letting the boats run free. Straightening out, she leaned against Pyrrha, their arms linking again as the boats sailed away.

The storm intensified, rinsing them clean for the most part. But the initial relief was wiped away as the water continued its assault harder than ever. Pyrrha ushered them into the shelter of nearby trees, keeping Ruby in her arms as she squinted upwards.

"If it doesn't let up soon we should head back inside," she said, when more than a few raindrops fell fierce enough to make her Aura flash in alarm. "Goodness, is it _hailing_?"

She held Ruby tighter, arms looped around her neck so that she could cover the top of her head with both palms.

"We should be fine here for a bit," Ruby said, shivering slightly. With a crooked smile, she plucked the little twig out of Pyrrha's hair. Then she rummaged around in her pockets for another hairpin— she always had two or three on her, not counting the Schnee snowflake she always wore.

Patient and silent, Pyrrha closed her eyes and let Ruby comb her long red hair out of her face again, this time pinning it so it wouldn't keep falling.

"There," she said when she was done. "Doesn't that feel better?"

"Much," Pyrrha said, before bending down and kissing her.

It was sweet and warm, a spot of unexpected relief. Pulling her closer, Ruby deepened the kiss. Nothing banished the frigid, pervasive chill in the air except for the pure strip of heat between them where they were pressed chest to chest.

When Pyrrha pulled away her breath escaped her in a stream of dense fog, eyes half-lidded.

Ruby kissed her again, numb fingers working underneath the hem of her shirt. She was starved for heat now, and everywhere she touched Pyrrha lit up like a furnace. Some quirk of faintly drumming Aura and desire worked her up to a blazing brilliance, green light shimmering over her skin in waves.

Drenched through with rainwater, Ruby felt like two sides of a coin. One half freezing cold and the other steaming hot, and a sharp, thin division between the two.

Pyrrha pulled back first, turning away to sneeze. "Okay, this—" she sneezed again, more violently. As she did that, Ruby looked around them to notice the rain wasn't lessening, exactly. Just falling softer...

In the form of snow.

"This— it's the middle of summer!" Pyrrha stammered in distress while Ruby giggled. "What is happening out here?!"

"Welcome to Patch," Ruby said. "We have an untapped white Dust vein off the northern coast." Stamping her feet a few times, she shuddered. "It'll melt away by tonight, I bet."

Pyrrha held her close once more, but this time she tried to tuck herself into Ruby's arms. "I'm not dressed for this weather. Let's go back inside, please?"

Laughing, Ruby took her hand and lead her out of the forest. A thin coat of ice ran over every rivulet. It crunched under their feet, shockingly loud in the sudden absence of the constant, rolling waves of rain.

"N-now I'm wondering why I wanted to go play in the rain," Pyrrha said.

"Because you were being silly."

"Sorry," Pyrrha said instinctively.

So Ruby stopped long enough to pat the back of her hand consolingly. The flurry of snow had already stopped, replacing by rock-hard rain again. "Don't apologize. It's nice to remember you can be silly sometimes. Sillier than me, even... it makes me love you even more."

A big smile spread across Pyrrha's face. Not the cold or the freezing rain managed to wash it off as they trudged back to Ruby's house. Stepping inside, Pyrrha squeezed out of her wet shoes and glanced up and down the hallway.

"Mind if I use your shower?" she asked, trembling again, but still grinning ear to ear.

"My home is your home, you don't need to ask." Ruby kissed her one more time before giving her a nudge in the direction of the bathrooms. "Go get warm. I'll make sure all the pipes aren't frozen over."

Stepping back outside when she was soaked through ranked high in _the top ten list of things Ruby Rose regretted in her short, short life._

After a quick scan, Ruby also made sure Tai's flower garden was covered up. The cold flash had mostly passed, thankfully, and it didn't seem like it would last through the night. But still.

Satisfied for the time being, she headed back inside with chattering teeth.

A hot shower was the only thing on her mind when she passed the main bathroom on her way to her father's room. The door was open just a crack, light spilling out alongside tendrils of sluggish steam. From within she heard the hiss of running water, and Pyrrha humming faintly. The sound of her voice struck Ruby like a lightning bolt, threatening to overwhelm her again with a surge of fondness.

 _Oh_ , Ruby thought suddenly, _Why am I not in there with her?_

What ensued was the most fraught moral and ethical decision she'd ever made.

Clearing her throat, she leaned on the door. "Hey, Pyrrha," she said, trying to be casual though her voice was strained. "Is it okay if we shower together?"

"Sure." That single word felt curved somehow, like a cat's smile.

So Pyrrha was on the same wavelength as her. That was important.

Arguably more important: Ruby was freezing and couldn't wait not to be. So, stripping in an instant, she hopped into the shower and moaned in relief when the hot water hit her. Way hotter than she usually enjoyed, but she wasn't about to complain.

She wiped the water out of her eyes and smiled up at Pyrrha, who was angling the showerhead to hit the shorter girl better.

"Awww. Thanks."

Pyrrha winked. "Don't mention it."

So Ruby didn't say anything at all. Instead she drank her in, seeing Pyrrha for the first time completely naked, in full light, in full view. Her figure brought to mind ancient statues, the ideal forms of beauty left in forgotten temples outside the city walls.

Lathering up a bar of soap between her palms, Pyrrha tsked. "You're caked in mud. Allow me."

Having someone else bathe her was a strange experience. Especially when Pyrrha was done and there was no excuse to keep touching each other except for the fact that they wanted to. So when Pyrrha kissed her, she traced the lines of her hips down to the place Ruby wanted to touch most.

Pyrrha twitched away, giggling with nerves. "I'm pretty sure you're supposed to work up to that."

"Sorry," Ruby said, all the heat in her body rushing to her ears. "You know I tend to charge in head-first."

Transgression or no, confronting the awkwardness did a lot to batter down any lingering hesitation. Pyrrha kissed her again, long and slow. Hands slick with soap stroked down her back. The only thing between them then was pure friction, electric and overwhelming. It felt like thawing out after a long night in the cold, the pleasing buzz of sensation returning to frozen limbs.

"Well just so you know," Ruby said, "I'm pretty worked up."

In truth she was so turned on it actually hurt. Her whole body ached to be touched, desire so keen it felt like the edge of a knife. At first she'd been nervous.

Then Pyrrha's hands trailed over her breasts before squeezing them experimentally. Every worry she had burned away in a jolt of unexpected pleasure, a gasp escaping her. Pleased, Pyrrha kept exploring every inch of her, returning to her sensitive nipples every so often to tweak another gasp out of her. With a curious glance down, she projected her destination clearly, giving Ruby time to stop her before she dared to touch her directly, fingers parting through dark red hair.

The shock of it almost made her leap in surprise. The careful, curious explorations found her soaking wet, hotter than the water streaming down both their bodies.

It felt impossibly good, better than kissing her. She had no idea how someone else touching her would be so different from touching herself, but it was exhilarating, like the first time she'd sparred against Pyrrha and held her own.

The kiss deepened, Pyrrha's calloused fingers rubbing rough circles around her clit. Ruby felt like she was rising, flying, riding up to the tallest tower, and she fought the urge to do the same to Pyrrha, wanting to wrap arms and legs around her and climb her like a tree.

"How are you so beautiful?"

Pyrrha's voice brought her back to the ground. She sounded awed when she said it, heat barely restrained behind her gaze.

Distracted as she was, Ruby couldn't batter down the instinct to deflect the compliment. "I'm not. Not like you—"

"You are." Pyrrha insisted with another kiss, and the press of her body against Ruby's meant the hand between her legs pressed in harder too. A terrible noise escaped her, a needy, whining shout. But she didn't even have time to be mortified when Pyrrha ground against her, wiping all other thoughts from her head. "You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen."

And then Pyrrha followed it with something in her native language that Ruby couldn't begin to understand. Words that normally curled around her now seemed crushed down into something rusted and hard. "I love you so much." She spoke in between biting kisses, muttering it in two languages. "—Love you so much. Are you close?"

Adoration stripped down her defenses, leaving Ruby gazing helplessly up at Pyrrha. "I—" the realization that Pyrrha wanted an answer knocked her sidewise. Words seemed so hard. "I don't know," she admitted, distressed.

To her dismay, Pyrrha pulled back a little. Worry drew little lines between her brow. "Have you done what I suggested?"

She could barely keep herself anchored, one hand on the wall and the other clutching onto Pyrrha's bicep. "Mmnnnmgghhh," she whined, teeth bared as she averted her gaze. "Come on, Pyrrha! It's embarrassing!"

"I don't want to learn your body before you do." The fact that she remained so calm and even-keeled despite what was happening would have been infuriating if it weren't also unbearably sweet.

Ruby protested with another grumble. "It's _boring_ by myself. I never enjoy it alone!" In her eyes, being bored was a fate worse than death. If Pyrrha hadn't grasped that by now, she probably never would.

Pyrrha just seemed darkly amused, head tilted to the side. "Well surely you picked up a thing or two since the last time we were this close."

Then she cut off whatever Ruby was about to say by sliding two fingers down, parting through slick folds. They teased penetration, but never delved any further. Even though it would have been _so easy_. Each slow stroke brought her closer just by virtue of how wet Ruby was. It would be _so_ easy to move her hips down to meet Pyrrha's fingers the next time she stroked up. She didn't care how it would look from the outside, only how good it would feel, how good it _must_ feel—

"Why don't we go to the bed and you can show me?"

_YES!_

Breathless, Ruby nodded furiously.

Pyrrha shut off the water and Ruby stumbled out on unsteady legs. Another flash of self consciousness struck her then, making her freeze. She didn't know the protocol for post-shower sex. Should she ever bother offering Pyrrha a towel?

The answer came in the form of another kiss, this time on her cheek, and long arms wrapping around her shoulders from behind. "You okay?"

"Yes." Grinning in sudden wickedness, Ruby vanished out of her hands in a puff of rose petals, reappearing in the hallway. "Race you to my room!"

"That's not fair!"

But she'd rocketed over to her room and leaped onto the bed a full minute before Pyrrha registered she was even gone. When she caught up to Ruby, she punished her by shoving her down and covering her with a hundred kisses until she begged for mercy. Her palm covered the back of Ruby's hand, urging her back down to pick up where they left off.

"Am I going to have to teach you how to do this?" Pyrrha said against her lips, voice low and rusted again.

Ruby could never resist a goad. "Yes, please."

Shock blossomed on Pyrrha's face, clearly not expecting that answer. So Ruby took another chance to be bold. It was better, miles better, to take Pyrrha's hand and use it instead of her own. Now she could go as deep as she like, muscle past whatever hesitations Pyrrha might have and grind against her palm.

The stark height difference between them mattered less here. She could finally feel Pyrrha's full weight on her, the friction of being chest to chest its own separate delight. Pyrrha's mouth claimed her, trying to keep busy as Ruby moaned and writhed with need.

"I still don't know if I can—" she started in a breathless murmur, but Pyrrha wouldn't let her finish her sentence— again.

"It doesn't matter," Pyrrha promised. She kissed her hard, biting her lower lip. "If this is where you feel good, we can stay here as long as you like."

That last lock around her heart— stress she didn't even realize she was carrying— melted away. Finally, she could truly relax into what she truly wanted: to be closer to Pyrrha. The next kiss lingered.

She let go of Pyrrha's hand, wanting to hold onto her. She linked her arms around Pyrrha's neck, stroking down her muscled back. In between sighs and murmurs they found a rhythm together.

Ruby could have stayed like that forever. With Pyrrha's head resting in the crook of her neck as her powerful arms worked deep inside her. With her mind empty of everything except slow, hazy bliss. It was like a cloud had settled over them, the thick ones that made the air go quiet and warm.

"Tell me you love me again," she said, or she tried to say, her mouth muffled with Pyrrha's skin. When she tried again, a bolt of pleasure more intense than anything she'd ever felt blindsided her. It was so strong she was certain they'd accidentally broken something, a deep throb of pressure that felt like her whole body had been freshly struck from the forge.

 _Oh, wait, is that it?_ she thought, for a split second disappointed, but not surprised.

Until it happened again. She shouted in shock, gripping Pyrrha's shoulders too tight.

Concerned green eyes floated into her vision. "Ruby? Are you okay?"

Words? Now? _Now_?! When she could barely fucking breathe?! "I'm—" She suddenly wanted to dig through Pyrrha's skin, she wanted to bite and claw like some animal pinned down. "I think I'm—" Blinding, searing white light shone behind her closed eyes. Some other person was there on the bed now, someone else was screaming in confused pleasure, squirming in delight, seeking friction on every inch of her body.

Even when it was over it wasn't really over. Her pulse hammered between her legs and behind her eyes; the waves petered out but didn't entirely stop. There was a bigger gap between each one, granting enough time for her to think she could relax before another one hit her and she gasped God's name out loud.

Pyrrha withdrew, kissing her over and over again on her sweat-soaked brow.

After that she didn't, couldn't, say anything at all. Ruby let Pyrrha hold her to her breasts, her chin resting on top of Ruby's head. She was exhausted, and a little awed.

"Oh no," were the first things she muttered, ears turning red. "I made a bunch of weird noises."

Pyrrha laughed, body shaking. "I don't care. Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yes." She wriggled back, keeping Pyrrha at arm's length. She wanted to make a little jab about Pyrrha's "helpful suggestions" but right then it was terribly hard to muster up any energy for outrage. All she felt was warmth and blood buzzing through her body, happiness singing through her skin. "Do you want me to touch you too?"

Propped on her side, Pyrrha kept her expression neutral. As hard as she tried, though, Ruby could see that dark hunger in her eyes, the tense lines of her body pulled taut as guitar strings. "I'd like that very much," she admitted carefully. "But now I'm worried you feel obligated."

"Nah!" In an instant she'd shoved her onto her back. Straddling Pyrrha's hips, Ruby palmed one of her breasts, playing with it like she'd like hers to be played with. It was only slightly disappointing that Pyrrha didn't seem to have as strong a reaction. "You do know I like touching you, right? That I want you?"

That prompted an uncertain laugh. "It's hard to believe, sometimes."

"I wanted to do this since we woke up this morning." Free now to do whatever she liked, she was struck by how daunting that freedom actually was. She understood, a little bit, why Pyrrha wanted Ruby to learn herself first before they had sex together. "Is there anything you'd really like me to do?"

Pyrrha cast her a knowing, wicked grin, somehow transmitting _See? I told you so_ without either of them exchanging a word. "It's whatever you want, Ruby. Or nothing at all. I know it's scary."

She blinked a few times, processing that. "You think it's scary?"

"Of course I do." She reached up, hands on Ruby's waist to enjoy the feel of her skin. "You're not...?"

Ruby shook her head, their interactions suddenly cast in a different light. For all she seemed so much more experienced, so much more beautiful and powerful and confident, this was Pyrrha's first time too. So Ruby was determined to make it as good as she could.

Bending down, she took Pyrrha's face in her hands and kissed her. Her lips were pink and wet from being kissed dozens of times already, and she took a dozen more, and was left unsatisfied still. She wanted to kiss her everywhere.

That's how she found the spots on Pyrrha's body that made her melt. She kissed down her arms, stopping with a polite kiss on the back of her hand like a gentleman, like she didn't smell and taste her own sex on Pyrrha's fingers.

Which gave her an idea. Shifting back, she kissed down her belly, making Pyrrha giggle, and then gasp in surprise when she took a little bite of her inner thigh.

"What are you doing?" she asked, though it was more a warm statement than a question.

"I don't know where to touch, but I figure I can't go wrong with a kiss." She proved it, pressing her lips gently against her and smiling at the shudder it provoked in Pyrrha. Her tongue flicked out on instinct, wanting to taste, and then she did it again until she was flooded with heat.

She didn't know why she'd thought it would be hard. It was as easy as reading Pyrrha on her bad days, when the older girl retreated into complete silence. Or when they were fighting on the field together. Nothing more than a twitch, a look into each other's eyes, and they were immediately on the same page.

It was a mess, but she relished in it. Eagerly spreading her open to lap away at her, Ruby kept giggling at how every little touch made Pyrrha twist and squirm. The most surprising part was how seeing Pyrrha getting off made her hot again too, like her skin was stitched on too tight.

Especially when she spoke again, her voice still deep and needy with lust. "You feel so amazing," she said, the words stretched out between another moan.

A row of excited, neon exclamation points might as well have sprung up over her head at the praise.

Pyrrha carded rough fingers through her hair until it was all smoothed back, still damp from the shower. The bed itself was drenched, she noticed with amusement, from sex and sweat and bathwater. Pyrrha's heels dug into the sheets, scrabbling for purchase and Ruby was forced to hold her down.

It didn't quite click what was happening until Pyrrha's grip on her head tightened. Pyrrha warned her in a choked whisper, and Ruby pushed her further in return.

Come drenched her lips, splashed down her chin even as she tried not to waste a single drop. Pyrrha's self-control shredded with every instinctive thrust onto Ruby's mouth, both hands clutching onto her head. Her native tongue took on another shape, thick as a mouthful of sweet wine.

Pyrrha released her slowly, petting through her hair one last time as if in silent apology.

Wiping her mouth off with the back of her arm, Ruby sat back and laughed. "Can I make a gross joke and ruin the moment?"

Pyrrha sighed, one hand over her face. "Please don't. Come here and hold me."

So she did, curled around Pyrrha's back and kissing her shoulders. They didn't talk about it for a while, just lazed around feeling pleased with themselves.

"We goofed around all day." At last Pyrrha spoke into the pillows. Her full, golden body stretched out over most of Ruby's small bed. It felt more comfortable than last night. Whatever tension between them that remained had been sandpapered away.

"We're on break," Ruby reminded her, staring at Pyrrha's back, her heavily muscled shoulders flexing as she stretched and rolled the kinks out of them. Quietly, and not for the first time, she was thrilled to be lucky enough to touch her.

The sun was rising now, flooding the room with gold light, and Ruby wanted something more than she'd ever wanted anything before. Desire ate her alive, but not like the kind they'd enkindled just hours before. Fierce possessiveness. An inkling of what she might have... of what they could have, one day in the future.

She didn't want this to end. She didn't want to go back to Beacon after the summer break was over, and go back to sharing all her privacy with six of her friends. This weekend had given her a snapshot of bliss and shown her exactly how good life could be.

She was young and in love and impulsive.

Ruby squeezed her tight, pressing her forehead to the center of Pyrrha's back.

"When we graduate," she said, "[Let's move in together](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1uwmoXAQHo)."

Pyrrha rested a hand over the back of Ruby's palm. "That sounds like a dream."

"Really?!" She squeezed her tighter. "You really think so, too?!"

Pyrrha laughed under her breath. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

Because Ruby already regretted saying it. Not because she didn't mean it or didn't want it, but because it made them both too vulnerable.

"I know it's a lot and maybe if you want to wait until after that or— or maybe you don't want to wait, but—" she started, giving Pyrrha a chance to back out.

But Pyrrha stopped her. She turned around in Ruby's arms, angling her head up for a kiss. "For you, I'd wait as long as I needed to."


End file.
